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Opel Grandland X Hybrid | Test Drive
Words Marco Mancino / Photos Ian Waltteri
Opel’s top-of-the-range SUV has serious intentions here. The Grandland X does not focus on stylistic charms or aesthetic solutions that make you fall from the chair, but rather engages its energies in a technical-mechanical marriage that with its most significant model reaches a much higher power than what was available to date, numbers that enhance it to such an extent as to allow it – with the necessary precautions – to point at a higher-end segment. We are talking about the Grandland X Hybrid, easily recognizable if you opt for the two-tone bodywork, or almost identical to a normal petrol or diesel sourced one, were it not for the two caps to fill up petrol and electricity in this decidedly sporty variant.
The total horsepower delivered by the 3 engines of the model of our test are 300. 200 those of the 1.6-liter Twinscroll 4-cylinder internal combustion engine, assisted by two electric motors, one positioned at the front between the 4-pot and the gearbox and one that is responsible for providing power to the rear axle. The overall torque, however, released without any sort of delay, is 520 Nm, an aspect that makes this Grandland X not only effective off-road, but also extremely responsive on paved roads as well. To manage this lucky propulsive combination we have an 8-speed automatic gearbox, equipped with two oil-immersed clutches and capable of managing the ratios in the best possible way also depending on the preferred driving mode, which for the record are 4: hybrid, which allows you to better manage the energy and also the power of the thermal engine, all-wheel drive always engaged, Sport mode and finally the electric one, which with 100% charged batteries allows you to travel up to 60 km with zero emissions. In addition, there is also the possibility of using Brake Mode, regenerating the battery pack in the best possible way, aptly while braking or on roads with steep descents.
This hybrid package stands out for its interesting solutions, as well as the e-Save, a mode that can be managed through the on-board infotainment and that allows you to communicate to the system to save a specific amount of electric range, so as to allocate it for particular situations. Very clever. However, it is precisely inside the passenger compartment that the sobriety proposed by an aesthetic almost completely analogous to the incarnation of the Grandland dated 2017, does not reflect a price tag that starts from just over € 42,700 for the hybrid version with only traction on the front wheels. A substantial sum, which ends up throwing this Opel into a territory dotted with premium SUVs in name and in fact. The fact is that my test driving days do nothing but confirm how the Grandland X Hybrid is an excellent travel companion on long journeys, showing onboard comfort and ample space for people and things, as well as in the city. Fuel consumption is reduced and perfectly manageable thanks to the various driving modes and the approaches that can be adopted to make more use of its green side, rather than the performance one.
And in fact, with 300 horsepower available and especially its 520 Nm of torque, I could never have refrained from setting aside the verification of a declared consumption in the mixed cycle of 1.6 l / 100 km, taking care instead of the driving involvement offered from a weight that, including the three engines, the batteries and the automatic gearbox, reaches 1,800 kg, a very respectable figure that is reflected in a precise handling once you get through the curves. The snow that covers the road ahead suggests calling into action the permanent all-wheel drive system and is another scenario in which the Grandland X shows off its skills, offering instant torque dispensed especially on the rear axle, the one driven solely by one of the two electric motors. In Sport, the steering is obviously more direct and precise, but also lets the car take care of the gearbox management – otherwise usable by means of the paddles on the steering wheel – everything that happens is predictable and almost completely flawless.
In front of my eyes, between the steering wheel and the dense snow that continues to fall imperturbably from the sky, an old-school instrumentation with two analog instruments: on the right the classic speedometer, on the left the one that monitors the management of the hybrid unit, in the middle a small display that summarizes some information, while in the center of the dashboard we find a touch screen from which it is possible to manage satellite navigation, radio and all the parameters of the car. The Grandland X Hybrid is more substance than image, we said it at the beginning and we confirm it even after many kilometers spent at the wheel, but it is a real pity that such an innovative and important model that above all represents the pinnacle of the Opel catalogue could not enjoy a restyling, before it was the turn of smaller models (like the Crossland X). The fact remains that if you are looking for an excellent car, this certainly knows a couple of things about it and even beyond the fact of having an obsolete interior, the only real obstacle is that of the price. For the plug-in hybrid variant with all-wheel drive you need something like 49,400 €, a substantial check to leave at the dealer and that could discourage potential customers, by virtue of a choice that depreciates less over time, regardless of government incentives that can help to file a few thousand Euro. By squaring this aspect and improving an advertising campaign that looks like something out of the mid-90s, we could have something even tastier in our hands.
OPEL GRANDLAND X HYBRID 4WD
Engine 4 cylinder Hybrid, 1.598 cc Power 300 hp Torque 520 Nm
Traction All-Wheel-Drive Transmission 8-Speed Automatic Gearbox Weight 1.800 kg
0-100 kph 6,1 sec Top Speed 235 kph Price from €49.400
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